Stories from Patrick McCarthy
Sustainable Living
Concerts Can Become More Sustainable: Here's How
Concerts create memories that last a lifetime, but they also generate a whole lot of waste that will last far longer. Avid concertgoer Patrick McCarthy offers some suggestions for attendees and venues to make this live music season more sustainable.
June 4, 2024
Justice + Equality
Donte West’s Growing Cannabis Coalition is Fighting for Reparative Justice
After escaping wrongful incarceration for false cannabis charges, Donte West joined a growing coalition of brands and organizations fighting drug-related criminal injustice and advocating for the release of people who were incarcerated for cannabis.
May 13, 2024
Sustainable Living
A Sustainable Travel Guide to Central New York
Next time you visit Central New York, use this roundup to stop by some must-see nature locales near Syracuse that are also a part of conservation and sustainability efforts.
April 25, 2024
Justice + Equality
This App Helps Immigrants Reclaim Their Stolen Wages
Wage theft costs American workers approximately $50 billion each year, and low-wage, immigrant workers are more than twice as likely to have their wages stolen than those born in the U.S. Reclamo helps advocates in New York navigate the process of reporting stolen wages with immigrant workers.
April 1, 2024
Justice + Equality
This Initiative Reduces Recidivism by Teaching Incarcerated People to Code
The ever-expanding tech industry is creating opportunities for job seekers who were formerly incarcerated. So, the Prison Scholar Fund is collaborating with Colorado Technical University’s Coding Dojo to help prepare people who are incarcerated for careers in tech upon their release.
March 18, 2024
Voices for Change
Uptick in Police Violence Offers a Chance for Brands to Address the Root of the Problem
In 2020, companies donated billions of dollars to under-served and over-policed communities hoping to correct the deep-rooted systemic injustice that breeds police brutality. It didn’t work. Diane Primo, CEO of the Purpose Brand agency, shares her thoughts on how brands investing in police reform might create positive change.
June 27, 2023
Voices for Change
Brands Are Silent on Surging Police Violence. Were They Ever Loud?
Last year marked the highest number of police killings on record, with a disproportionate number involving Black Americans. So, what prompted brands to go quiet on police reform? Are consumers not applying the same pressure? In this two-part article series, we take a closer look at what's going on.
June 26, 2023
Voices for Change
Seneca Solar Seeks Equitable Solutions for the Climate Crisis
In collaboration with Native communities and partners, Seneca Solar — a climate consultancy and solar developer wholly owned by the Seneca Nation — is flipping the old, extractive model of energy development to focus on equitable outcomes for Native people.
April 10, 2023
Finance
Who Pays For Climate Change? Where Countries Falter, Corporations Fund
At the COP27 climate talks in November, world leaders agreed to establish a loss and damage fund to help developing countries cope with the impacts of climate change. But it will be years until the fund is up and running — leaving many questions unanswered, chief among them: Who pays for the climate crisis?
March 24, 2023
Energy
Why the EPA's Decision on Coal Ash Matters
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized that, all too often, the communities most affected by coal ash pollution are poorer and lack the resources to mitigate the environmental harm or pursue legal action.
February 10, 2023
Community Development
What Your Neighborhood is Missing: More Trees
Planting more trees in densely-packed city centers can combat the effect of urban heat islands and save lives during summer heatwaves.
February 8, 2023
Finance
Coal is Totaled. Will Coal-stalgia Continue to Impede Renewable Energy Investment?
A new report from the climate think tank Energy Innovation found the cost of maintaining an existing coal plant is greater than the cost of constructing a new wind or solar farm. Is the U.S. ready to let go, or will cultural coal-stalgia hold us back?
February 3, 2023
Community Development
Top Universities Fail to Prepare World Leaders for the Climate Crisis, Report Finds
The world's top universities have not fostered the leadership skills and civic engagement necessary for our world leaders to navigate the impending ecological crisis, according to a new project from the youth campaign group Mock COP.
January 31, 2023
Sustainable Living
Alaska Airlines Ditches Plastic Cups in Broader Push to Curb Plastic Waste
Alaska Airlines is the first U.S. carrier to stop using plastic cups for inflight beverage service, as part of a broader push to phase out single-use plastics. So, what can travelers expect, and how much impact does this really have?
January 30, 2023
Energy
Humans Fueling Steady Rise in Ocean Heat Levels, Creating Adversity for Aquatic Species
Rising marine temperatures threaten mortal peril to oceanic species, and complications to life on land as well. So, what do warmer waters mean for us, and for the abundance of aquatic life facing extinction?
January 27, 2023
Sponsored
Force for Good: Giving Back to Communities Nationwide
Subaru and LA Auto Show Fetch National Attention with Dog Adoption Program
Many people attend auto shows to learn about the latest innovations within the automotive industry, but attendees who stop by the Subaru booth might end up leaving with a new four-legged family member.
October 18, 2022
Energy
As Activists Swarm to Save Endangered Monarch Butterflies, Most Companies Sit Idle
A swarm of monarch butterflies is a breathtaking sight, and so are the activists organizing to save the newly endangered species from annihilation. But for all the reporting on what individuals can do to help save the monarchs, there has been far less coverage on the role of corporations.
September 16, 2022
Voices for Change
Do Protest Movements Work? New Study Says, 'We Shall Overcome — Gradually'
A new report on the efficacy of protest movements says that they can generate change in discourse and opinion, but their rate of success is variable.
September 13, 2022
Energy
What Will It Take to Save the Monarch Butterfly?
The decline of the migratory monarch butterfly threatens a “butterfly effect” on entire ecosystems. After the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) classified monarchs as ‘endangered’ in late July, conservationists are rallying to stop the risk of extinction.
September 12, 2022
Corporate Responsibility
In Post-Roe America, Companies Must Show, Not Tell, That They Value Employee Health
Companies that are doing the right thing in a post-Roe landscape don’t need to broadcast their efforts, says Dr. Yuvay Ferguson of Howard University.
August 23, 2022